National Republican., 1887-03-08
An Extra Session of Congress.

luOIe are NUMBER OF reasons why IN
extra session Of Congress is imperatively
demanded. 1t may not be necessary that
the fiftleth Congress should be called to
meet here and swelter through the hot
months Of the summer, but II ought to be
called nOiO TO meet at some early date.
The most imperative reason why Con-
grtss should meet at an early date
was given by President Cleveland him
self in his last annual message, when he
demonstrated the necessity Of such legis-
lation as would reduce the revenue aud
prevent the rapidly accumulatlng surplus
in the treasury.
Messrs. Carlisle, Morrison, and Randall,
clutched Congress by the throat and de
prived the representatives Of the states and
the people of their constitutional rights,
besides defying the leader of their party,
whom they selected and helped to elect
President, and thus prevented the leglsla-
tlon, so evidently necessary, to reduce tax
alton and lessen the government income.
By the 1st OF July the last Of the bonds
that can be will be called in and paid, and
there will be no possible method Of dispens
ing Of the surplus revenue, amounting to
eight or ten million dollars each month.
Should this accumulation be continued
for one year, as 1t will be IL Congress does
not meet until its regular time in Deem
ber, the already. inadequate supply OF cir
culating medium, now only thirteen dollar
| per capita, will be reduced to eleven dollars
| per capita, and financial panic will ensue
| that will bring ruin upon thousands.
II the public were assured by proclama-
tion Of the President calling an extra ses.
sion Of Congress to meet at an early day
this panic would be averted by the knowl-
| edge that before the movement Of the crop
OF the present year some measure would be
enacted by which the income would be re-
duced and the accumuations in the treasury
be disbursed.
But there are other reasons than this,
almcstas grave, which demand earlier action
than can possibly be had by Congress
which does not meet until the first Monday
in December, has its organization to per-
feet, and then adiourns for the holidays.
The failure Of the general deficiency bill
almost fatally embarrasses the administra.
tion Of justice by leaving the department
without money to run the courts. So, too,
the failure of the river and harbor bill
leaves the engineer department without
the money to complete the works in pro,
gress, or even to protect them or the
valuable ''plants" needed to carry them or
from the winter floods, entailing the loss Of
millions Of dollars.
Each of the executive departments will
| H. los li.t f,,t No,
of its regular business by the failure of tht
general deficiency bill, but might tide ovei
the troubles II 1t was definitely known tina
the iiftieth Congress would meet in tim
to remedy, as far as possible, the short
comings Of the late, unlamented forty
ninth.
In addition to their other sins OF omission
and commission, the Democratic bosses
Carlisle, Morrison, and Randall-refus set
any adequate provisions for the navy; the.
refused anything for coast defenses; the.
defeated the Blair educational bill, and re
fused to repeal the tax on tobacco. Th
people Of the country demand the passag
t, of these measures; the vast majority Of tn
, peoples representatives in the forty mint
Congress favored them, and 1t was only th
usurped power OF the bosses which pre-
vented them from becoming laws.
, 1t is fair to assume that the Democrat
members Of the flftieth Congress will no
make such cewardly surrender Of thei
constitutional rights to trio of die
tators as was made by the member
of the forty-ninth Congress, and that al
those measures demanded by the peoDl
will become laws, and this itself woul
be q sufficient reason for an extra sesso
of Congress.
+, Even the necessities Of the District o
. Columbia alone, the reclamation OF th
! Potomac flats, the completion Of the nev
waterworks, and other indispensable in
, provements would justify an extra session
1t is impossible, after careful review {
the situation, to escape from the concl,
sion that President Cleveland will call I'll
fftieth Congress to convene at some da
, much earlier than that prescribed by Law